In the share this week:
2 delicata squash
2 sweet red or orange peppers
1 lb tomatoes
1 lb yellow onions
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch thai basil
1 head lettuce
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
We had a wonderful mini-getaway last week to Lake Cumberland. The kids had an awesome time swimming in several little coves (many of them complete with a cute little waterfall and turtles). It is such a great mental and physical reset for me at this point in the season. While we were away, the rest of the farm crew was busy getting tons of fall transplants in the ground - kale, beets, cabbage, fennel, radicchio and lettuce. We have some more rounds of seeding and transplanting this week and then just a bit more direct seeding over the next several weeks before we are pretty much finished with planting for the season. After that, we'll be coasting with harvesting and keeping up with weeding (which also slows down a bit as we head into fall). Ah, it is nice to begin to slowly unwind from the busiest part of our season. The great part is that we have so much awesome produce still to come on in late summer and fall, but most of the work of getting it to harvest has already been done.
Speaking of the coming of fall, we have the first of the winter squash coming at you this week - delicata squash. These are very sweet little winter squashes that are great split lengthwise (remove seeds), brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt and roasted. Then just drizzle a little honey on before serving. Since they are small, one squash would be a good side dish for 2-3 people. You can also cut your squash into smaller little half moon pieces to roast like in the recipe Maria has below. Yum! Also new in the share this week is the first of the yellow onions. I'm really happy with the quality of our yellow storage onions this year. It was a new variety for us and they seem to have dried down pretty nicely. Thai basil is another new item and I really love the idea of using it in recipe for Thai Sweet Pepper Chicken below. If you don't want to use all of your thai basil right away, it can be dried by hanging it upside down for a couple of weeks.
Well, I'm a little low on time for the newsletter today - so I'll keep it short and sweet and get back at it!
Recipes from Maria:
Thai Sweet Pepper Chicken
Ingredients 8 oz. sweet peppers 12 oz. boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces salt ground black pepper 2 tablespoons oil 2 cloves garlic, minced One bunch thai sweet basil ¼ cup Cashews
Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar 2 tablespoons water
Instructions 1. Slice and remove the top part of the sweet peppers. Cut lengthwise into halves to remove the seeds inside of the peppers. Cut into wedges or strips. Set aside. 2. Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce together, stir to mix well. Set aside. 3. Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper. Heat up a wok or skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is heated, add the chicken and cook until both sides of the chicken are slightly brown. Dish out and set aside. 4. In the same wok or skillet, add the remaining oil. Add the garlic and stir fry until aromatic. Add the sweet peppers, stir and toss continuously, about 10 seconds. Add the sauce into the wok or skillet, stir to combine well with the sweet peppers. Transfer the chicken back into the wok, stir a few times to blend well. Turn off the heat and serve immediately with chopped basil and cashews.
Roasted Delicata Squash Harvest Kale Salad
Ingredients Salad: 12 oz kale washed and chopped avocado oil and sea salt for massaging the kale 2 delicata squash 2 med/large apples cored and sliced into 1/2” slices 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup pecans 2/3 cup Dried cranberries
Dressing: 2 medjool dates softened 3 Tbsp water 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tsp mustard 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp sea salt fine grain, or to taste 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste 1/3 cup avocado oil or light olive oil
Instructions For the squash: Preheat your oven to 425° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash the squash cut ends off to create two flat edges. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices, keeping the size of the slices consistent. Rub, toss, or spray with olive oil so both sides of each slice are coated with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer. Place in preheated oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes or so. Once they appear golden brown and crisp, remove from the oven. apples and pecans: Spread out the apple slices on a large parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Roast in the preheated oven (below or above the squash for 7-9 minutes or until tender. After 5 minutes, sprinkle the pecans over the apples and continue to roast 2-4 minutes, watching the pecans to avoid burning.
For the dressing:
Place all dressing ingredients in a high speed blender, blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to serve.
Arrange the salad: Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Massage the kale for several minutes until you reach desired texture. Layer the kale with the roasted delicata squash, apples, pecans, and the dried cranberries. Toss with the dressing before serving. Enjoy